A couple of stars

For Shephali it was love at first sight. Not so for Harsh. "I am a complete introvert, while Shephali is quite the opposite. In a break, between the shots (of Saptapadi) while I was reading a book, she came and asked me if she could sit on one of the chairs beside me and I said `yes’ as I went on reading," recalls Harsh. “`You might be a very friendly person but I am not’ is what I wanted to make clear." They left the sets on a not-so-friendly note. Today, they’ve been married for a little more than two years.

Shephali says work is part of the household conversation. "We are friends. We discuss the roles and the money we’ve been offered," says Shephali. Shephali thinks it’s difficult for any working woman to go on with her job if she is not fully supported by her family. She admits she’s lucky on this score the actress/bahu was accepted wholeheartedly by her husband’s family. And what’s more, although there isn’t a `you-do-this-and-I-do-this’ break up of household chores, Harsh keeps the food ready if he reaches home earlier than Shephali. And vice versa.

The same goes for the Karyekars, Yatin and Iravati, who first made their mark in Shanti. Yatin loves to cook. "If he’s at home I can be assured of not just a nice meal but one that’s laid out well too," says Iravati. She met Yatin in college when she was working hard on the play A New Lullaby which she had written for the Youth Festival. Yatin directed the play and at the end of the strenuous three-day schedule, they were in love with each other. "Yatin didn’t teach me to act but he definitely chiselled away the unnecessary stuff," she admits. Iravati found herself in the TV industry because of Yatin. "I’m proud of the fact that Iravati’s first scene (as Nidhi of Shanti) was with me (Kamesh) as my daughter," Yatin reminisces. And while Yatin says he loves to work with Iravati, his grey-green eyes glittering, Iravati says that people “unfortunately don’t understand that on the sets I’m an actress before I’m a wife.

"Though it has never happened to us, people sometimes hire the husband-wife team and try to cut down on the expenses. The attitude doesn’t encourage me to work with Yatin, though I love to work with him ," explains Iravati. There is no place for a la Abhimaan story in their lives, "We give each other a lot of space and respect it," Iravati stresses, "There is a lot of difference between `Will you do it?’ and `Do it.’; I’ve learnt the difference from Yatin." Yatin is busier than her at the moment, but she says she has no problems. In fact Iravati manages Yatin’s shooting dates. She enjoys reading, listening to music while she is at home, because "I do it for both of us" as she puts it. Like the Chayas, they too discuss their roles and very often end up fighting over a shoot or a shot.

Critical appreciation (of each other) is what the Pahwas indulge in too. Seema Pahwa (Badki of Buniyaad) has been acting since the age of six her mother was an actress too. It was on the Delhi stage that she met Manoj Pahwa. Currently, the couple is working together in Sea Hawks. "I’m not working a lot at the moment. My kids keep me occupied and what’s important is that we know how to enjoy life," says Seema. Manoj says that they seek each other’s opinion on their respective performances and are quite open in saying that a particular thing didn’t work out well, if it needs to be said.